My New Favorite Toy

I have a new toy! It's a Pacman pinball from Miniso. I got it the other day and it's been a fun "no power needed" gadget. I reach for it now instead of my phone when I need to take "a break". I play it a couple of times and then go back to whatever I'm doing. That means I don't end up wasting so much time doom-scrolling, haha. 

It's just PhP198 (or PhP199). I hope I don't break it soon since I'll probably use it for awhile. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Gaga Over Mandalorian and Grogu Collectibles

I have been collecting Yoda figures and collectibles for many years now. It wasn't a conscious effort because my collection grew from gifts of friends all over! 

The same happened with Grogu/Baby Yoda. I honestly just wanted to stick to my Yoda collection, but the same thing happened. A friend gave me a huge Grogu Funko Pop. I knew there was no turning back, haha.

I started watching new offers of collectibles after watching the movie. I only watched the trailer to keep the suspense. Most of the clips featured Miniso and movie theater special popcorn tubs. I also checked Amazon and there are a lot of Funko Pop variants, other figures, shirts , mugs and, of course, Lego.

After Miggy's gym session we headed to Glorietta and SM Makati to check out toy stores and Miniso. We were not disappointed since there was a lot. It was honestly very hard to choose, but budgetary constraints led the way, haha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Vintage Toy Pianos

Mom thought I showed some promise when I played with the toy piano. She enrolled me in piano lessons and my caucasian teacher came once a week. My first recital piece was "Old MacDonald (had a farm...)".

My teacher though I guess left, so he was replaced by my Ninang's cousin. She was very strict and would hit my fingers if I made a mistake. Of course, I quit.

It took almost a decade to get over my trauma. In met Ate Edith and I progressed really well. My recital pieces were "Joy of a Man's Desiring" and "Canon in D". I even had a trio. Ahh, those were the peak days of my musical era. I eventually got busy and focused on Miggy and my studies.

Now, I leave the piano playing to Sweetie. My big piano is with me, but badly needs tuning. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Cute Friends Collectibles

I was just checking if McDonald's had caramel sundae when I chanced upon their offer for "Friends" collectibles. I haven't been buying toys for sometime now since my display cabinet is full already. But... I can always squeeze in some more, right?

I got Sweetie to order a burger too so we can get two. I got Ross and he got Joey. Cutie! 

Should I complete the set?

Have a blessed Sunday everyone :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

GenXers Childhood Boyfriend

We didn't have gadgets in the 80s. Our playtime consisted of either playing outdoors with friends or Lego, Barbie, Transformers, cartoon figures etc. indoors. Some were privileged to have Atari/Nintendo gaming consoles.

My parents prohibited gaming consoles at home, so my playtime revolved around Barbie and Lego. I was relieved to find my Barbie doll collection* and lonesome Ken. Funny, I had dressed up Ken with just a belt before I stored them over 3 decades ago. Sorry Ken.

I found his one and only outfit and washed it. Ken has finally been reunited with his clothes. I think I removed them because I wanted to experiment on sewing clothes for him. I never learned to make clothes, so he suffered 3+ decades covered up with a belt. 

Anyway, Ken was a common childhood boyfriend, haha. I don't recall what kind of stories I made up while playing with them. I do recall I separated him from the Barbie dolls so they won't fight over him, hahaha. They're still not together. 

Since I'm not good at making clothes, I found out you can buy clothes for Ken online. I'll get him a summer outfit to update his 80s Michael Knight look. Hahaha.

#BeKind #StaySafe

*Most of them came from Titay :)

My Childhood Toys are Now Vintage

My Mom likes to keep things pristine. She always told me to take care of my things so they would last long. Imagine my surprise when I sorted boxes of toys today and found toys from my childhood.

I'm really surprised that my Mom preserved and kept them. She knew these toys were precious for me. I guess she must've kept it in her bedroom or my Mama Lola's since they were not affected by the floods (or stolen by you know who).

It was a delight to find my Fischer Price Music Box. It still works, but I need to find the records that come with it.

My Mickey Mouse Record Player! Probably requires 110 volts plug to play. It still probably works since Mom preserved it in its original box.

Electronic Portable Organ. I had a lot of happy playtime with this keyboard. Unfortunately, I don't think it's working anymore.

I'm a bit surprised I had a lot of music related toys. Tita Pet mentioned to me that Mom bought the upright piano because she really wanted one of us to be good at it. That's probably why I had a myriad of music related toys. 

I did learn how to play the piano and music has always been part of my life. Well, Sweetie is an expert at playing the keyboard, so music will definitely always be a part of my life :)

Thanks Mom and Dad for the great toy choices!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Have You Seen the Tamiya Dyipne?

Miggy used to collect Tamiya toys. He was only 4 years old when he was gifted with one. Of course, I was forced to build it. The motor did not work, so he fixed it by himself. That was when we realized he's a gifted child (he also built a fan we couldn't figure out how to put together). 

When I saw how Miggy enjoyed building Tamiya cars, I'd always buy him one whenever I can. His Papa Lolo eventually bought a huge track for him. They enjoyed building it and letting the cars run in the track. Unfortunately, I don't think any of Miggy's Tamiya sets survived typhoon Ondoy. 

Last week, we noticed the Tamiya Dyipne on display at a store in Glorietta. We were surprised to see it. Not really sure when it came out, but it's interesting to see a version of the Philippine jeepney as a Tamiya toy. Upon research a set is about PhP750 or if you're crazy there's one on eBay at $199. We didn't buy, but I like the blue one better :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

At the Super Manila Comic Con

Sweetie surprised us with tickets to the Super Manila Comic Con. What I enjoyed the most was seeing the work of local artists. It was our first time to attend a comic con here, so it was a delight to see unique artworks.

I was surprised to see an artwork that would fit my sewing room perfectly. The artwork is by Guada Ramos Funtilar. It's a child playing under a Singer sewing machine. It reminded me of the time I used to do that under my Mama Lola's sewing machine. The child even had my short hair with bangs, haha. I bought a copy and had Guada sign it too. 

I regret not buying Marius Black's cityscape. I really liked it. I was so excited with __ artwork, I wasn't able to go back anymore for the cityscape. I got their contact information, so I'll just try to purchase directly.

The event had a hodge podge of stuff. Lines were very long for those buying Gunpla toys. It snakes around the area where you can buy toys, so that made it hard to get around. The middle section had character figures. It would have been nicer if they made an effort to put proper lighting for it. There was a smattering of Star Wars figures, but I only saw one Yoda figure. It's the Royal Selangor one being sold for PhP18k. 

The other third of the room was dedicated for comic books and local artists. I would have wanted to spend more time looking through the different artworks and maybe have something comissioned. Unfortunately, a big chunk of my energy was wasted waiting in line. There was a lot of confusion where to line up. 

Anyway, Sweetie got a copy of the special edition Transformers comic book :)

The event is open until September 8, 2024, at One Ayala, Makati City.

#BeKind #StaySafe

What We Thought of the Gashapon Place in Mitsukoshi

Visited the Gashapon place in Mitsukoshi a few weeks ago. We had planned to visit it in November, but we know where that month went. Anyway, we ended up dining at Mitsukoshi after my check-up. We were hungry since waiting for the doctor took so long. Well, that gave us an excuse to eat at Mitsukoshi and visit the Gashapon place. 

I had my doubts about going since I've thoroughly enjoyed gashapon stations in Japan. I frequented them whenever I went to Akihabara and also at the airport. Before going home from Singapore I found a lot of the gashapon balls. I didn't bring them home anymore since I really don't have use for it. I just kept the toys and trinkets I got while in Japan (it was a good way to use coins before leaving Japan hehe). I have nice Star Wars and Pokemon stuff from the gashapon I frequented in Japan. 

Anyway, so my expectations was high since they had the Bandai brand plastered all over the place. Went through all the aisles, but was sorely disappointed. Miggy also just found some Gundam paint. I wasn't sure though if they would carry Star Wars or Pokemon, but I was hopeful. Bandai carries Pokemon Nanoblock toys. I didn't find any Star Wars toys on their website. 

I didn't stay long and asked the boys to park me in front of Daiso since they have nice seats there. I was already tired from the short walk (this was just a few days after I got discharged). Daiso was a feast to the eyes. While in Singapore I used to have a SGD10 monthly allowance for anything I wanted to buy at Daiso, hahaha. Luckily went home unscathed this time since I didn't really need anything. 

Gashapon? Just skip it if you've been to Japan. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Meet My Oldest Toy

I've had Mr. Cocker Spaniel since I was 4 years old. I lost a lot of stuff during Typhoon Ondoy, but he was one of those who survived. I'm not entirely sure if my Mom or Titay got him for me. He's usually in my hangouts whenever I work from home. I also remember I had a tiny dog named Buko. I'm not sure where she is already, but I have a photo booth set of photos with her (it's somewhere in my Mom's album).